The present invention generally relates to avionics, and more particularly relates to hazard avoidance systems, and even more particularly relates to electronically providing a flight crew member with information relating to xe2x80x9cno-fly zonesxe2x80x9d (NFZs), around dynamic hazards.
In the past, designers of avionics displays and hazard avoidance systems have endeavored to achieve a reduction in pilot workload and/or an increase in safety of flight. One area of concern has been the avoidance of weather hazards along a flight path. Pilots have, in the past, received weather reports from ground-based weather services via data link, etc. These reports have typically been textual reports describing areas of predicted severe weather.
While these data-linked textual reports of predicted areas of severe weather have clear advantages, they also have significant drawbacks.
The cockpit can become, at times, a very busy place. For example, during times when weather forces a deviation from a predetermined flight plan, a pilot is often quite busy in avoiding the storm and determining a new flight plan. These problems are compounded when the storm being avoided is part of a widely scattered group of thunderstorms. The motion of the storms and the aircraft add complexity to the flight planning procedure. Avoiding a nearby storm may put the pilot on a new path, which could intercept one or more additional storms.
Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and apparatuses for providing and displaying information to a flight crew member regarding predicted future dynamic hazards and their geographic limits.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved means for assisting a pilot with avoiding a group of dynamic hazards.
It is a feature of the present invention to utilize an improved weather radar display with NFZs shown disposed about hazard areas.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a representation of areas to avoid which are very quickly discernable to a busy pilot.
It is another feature of the present invention to include a representation of a predicted or future location of a storm cell and an avoidance zone about the predicted location of the storm.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide for increased ability to develop a safe flight path through a group of storm cells.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to include variably sized NFZs, where the size of the NFZ is made larger as the radial distance between the hazard and the position of the aircraft increases.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide for the capability of reducing pilot workloads at critical times, by permitting the pilot to better understand where storm cells may be at varying times in the future so as to avoid unwanted future interception.
It is still another feature of the present invention to provide a computer-generated display and autopilot controlled flight path through a group of storm cells.
It is still another advantage of the present invention to further reduce the pilot""s workload by removing or reducing the effort required to determine a new flight path through a group of storm cells.
The present invention is an apparatus and method for aiding a flight crew member with navigating an aircraft through a group of storm cells, which apparatus and method are designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in a xe2x80x9cpilot speculation-lessxe2x80x9d manner in a sense that the undesirable levels of speculation by a pilot in determining current and prospective unsafe areas in which not to fly an aircraft, has been greatly reduced.
Accordingly, the present invention is a multi-mode weather radar/FMS/multi-function display, together, in some applications, with an autopilot system which simultaneously display NFZs for current dynamic hazards and/or provides a graphic representation of future fixed and variably sized NFZs for dynamic hazards located at variable ranges, as well as providing computer-generated flight paths and aircraft control along those flight paths.